


Bring You Home

by LadyWallace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel rescue fic, Crowley also to the rescue, Episode: s11e18 Hell's Angel, Family Feels, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, No Slash, Season 11 au, episode AU, sam and dean to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 18:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWallace/pseuds/LadyWallace
Summary: Lucifer or not, Sam and Dean are determined to bring their angel home (11x18 AU) Cas rescue fic





	Bring You Home

Dean paced nervously in the abandoned church, checking and rechecking the sigils they had painted. This was an enormously stupid idea, but they had run out of any other kind of ideas a long time ago. Obviously. That was why Cas had said yes to Lucifer to begin with.

And Dean vowed that they would not leave this building until they had freed their best friend.

He cast a glance over at Sam who was reading over the exorcism, trying to commit it to memory. He met Dean's eyes.

"You really think this will work?" he asked.

Dean swallowed hard, pressing his lips into a thin line as he looked over to Rowena and Crowley, also preparing. The witch shot him a longsuffering look that boosted no confidence, but Dean turned back to his brother. "It has to. We gotta get Cas out of this."

Sam nodded and glanced over at the demon and his witch mother once more before moving closer to Dean, pulling him off to one side so they could talk in private.

"Dean…what I said before, about Cas and his vessel, I didn't mean…"

Dean held up his hand, shaking his head. "Sam we don't have time for this right now."

"No, just listen," Sam pleaded. "You know I want Cas back, right? I guess I wasn't talking so much about him as just all of us in general. We've just…we've had so many things go wrong because we chose each other over the world. I mean, that's how the Darkness got free to begin with." Dean closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he listened to Sam continue. "I just…I guess I'm just tired of everyone doing stupid things to put themselves in danger for my own mistakes."

"Sammy," Dean tried but his brother cut him off.

"No, no Dean. I know it should have been me who said yes to Lucifer. We knew we needed him for this, I should have just said yes. But instead I froze and…Cas doing this is on me. He did it so I wouldn't have to."

Dean heaved a sigh and reached out to clamp his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Okay, first of all, no one was expecting you to say yes to that asshole down there. No matter what. And you were right, Cas chose this, but we've always been there to get each other out of stupid decisions too, that's what we do. Hell, maybe that's partly why we get into all this trouble, but maybe it keeps us out of a hell of a lot more in the long run too. And right now, Cas needs help, and we're gonna bring him home and figure out another way to do this. Because I tell you one thing, we are all gonna get through this alive. No one is dying in this fight except Amara, and maybe Lucifer too if he isn't useful."

Sam shifted slightly, then his face steeled into a determined look and he nodded jerkily. "Okay. Okay. But…if we do kill Lucifer, I want to be the one to stab that bastard in the neck myself."

Dean smiled slightly and clapped Sam's shoulder again. "I think you earned that right."

"If you two are done with your little heart-to-heart we have an archangel to summon," Crowley called from across the room in a put-upon manner.

Dean rolled his eyes, but wanted this over with as soon as possible. The brothers went over to Crowley and Rowena and took up their positions around the binding circle.

"Sam," Dean said and his brother performed the summoning spell, throwing a match into the bowl of ingredients, and reciting the incantation.

It took only seconds, a clap of thunder sounded, and suddenly, Lucifer appeared in the middle of the circle they had painted on the floor, back facing them.

"Dean," Crowley barked, and Dean quickly lit a match and threw it on the ground. Holy fire burst up around the circle, effectively hemming Lucifer in for the moment.

The fallen archangel, wearing their friend's face, slowly turned around and cocked his head to one side, smiling. "Hey guys. What's up?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably, and Dean glowered at the archangel. "It's time you get out of Cas, you bastard."

Lucifer smirked at him. "Well, that sounds vaguely dirty when you put it that way, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pass. You need me to stop Auntie Amara, right?"

"We'll take our chances," Sam snapped. "Now get out of him."

"Um, yeah, I don't think so," Lucifer said. "See, Cas and I have become quite cozy in here together. Besties, roommates. I mean, when he's behaving, anyway."

Dean felt his stomach churn. Of course he knew Lucifer wouldn't have left Cas alone entirely, the devil just enjoyed tormenting people too much, but he'd hoped…

"This is your last chance to leave of your own accord," Sam said, taking a step toward the circle. "Otherwise we're gonna force you out."

Lucifer pouted. "Aw, Sammy, don't be like that. Are you just jealous that I found a new bunk buddy?"

"Shut up!" Dean snapped. "You're not helping your case."

Lucifer chuckled. "Oh, but I do so enjoy seeing you two riled up. And, by the way, holy fire? Not gonna hold me long."

"Yes, but it will hold you long enough." Crowley came around the corner and nodded to one side of the room where Rowena was waiting.

She cut her hand and slammed it onto a sigil painted against the wall. Lucifer's eyes widened as the sigil beneath him began to glow and then he shuddered, a blank look in his eyes.

"Castiel, show yourself," Dean commanded, fists clenching in anticipation.

Lucifer continued to shudder, doubling over slightly, and then he straightened stiffly, eyes wide as he looked around.

"Dean?" came the familiar gruff voice. "Sam?"

"Cas?" Dean called, stepping as close as he could to the flames. "Cas, listen to me, we don't have a lot of time. You have to throw Lucifer out!"

His vessel shuddered again, and Dean felt their hope slipping away. "Cas!"

"Cas, you can do this!" Sam added.

"Too strong," Cas' voice came, strained as he staggered in the circle, dangerously close to the fire.

"Cas, listen to me, I know we've had a rough time lately, but you're family, and we're gonna bring you home," Dean said, hoping he was getting through.

"You don't have to do this," Sam added. "Cas, you know that these self-sacrificing moves never work. They only bring more grief."

"Please, man, we can find another way to defeat the Darkness, we just want you back," Dean pleaded.

Cas was doubled over, hands on his knees. Then he started laughing, and Dean felt a chill run through him, knowing Lucifer had resurfaced.

The devil straightened up, wiping a non-existent tear from his eye. "That was beautiful. But unfortunately, Cas can't come to the phone right now. I've got him locked up tight so he can't pull anymore pranks—like when he stopped me from killing Sam."

Sam swallowed hard and Dean stared in horror at the archangel.

Lucifer smirked at them, folding his arms over his chest. "Tick-tock, boys. You're running out of time before this spell fails and I jump out of this circle and rip your hearts from your chest." He glanced toward Crowley and Rowena, winking at the witch. "Both of you aren't gonna be far behind."

Despair filled Dean. He thought they had been close to getting Cas to cast Lucifer out but…what if he physically couldn't? If Lucifer had locked him down, then maybe he wasn't able to expel the devil at all?

"Boys," Rowena called already backing away, and Dean glanced over to see the sigil on the wall fading. He glanced into the circle and saw the one under Lucifer's feet doing the same. Dean shared a wide-eyed look with Sam. What the hell were they going to do now?

"Oh, bloody hell," Crowley muttered. "Do I have to do everything myself?"

And then he slumped into a chair as he burst from his meatsuit, straight into Lucifer and Cas' vessel.

~~~~~~~~

Castiel huddled in the corner of the dark room. He thought briefly that he heard Dean and Sam, pleading with him to force Lucifer out, to come home, but he figured that was just his mind messing with him. It wouldn't be the first hallucination he'd had while in here, though usually they were put on by Lucifer to torment him. At least he'd finally locked him away, seeming to lose interest in him after tormenting him mercilessly after he had stopped the archangel from killing Sam. That was the only time he'd been able to surface. Now Lucifer he locked him down and taken so much of his power, that he couldn't even dream of expelling the devil. So, even if he had plans to, it would be a pointless effort.

He had a sinking feeling as the door creaked open, but as he looked up, it was not Lucifer's silhouetted at all, but someone much shorter.

"What? You can't even turn on a bloody light? I didn't think you were that much of a miserable emo, Castiel."

Crowley snapped his fingers and light filled the tiny room. Castiel looked up and frowned, not even bothering to climb to his feet.

"Why you?" he asked. "Why would Lucifer make me hallucinate you?"

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Exactly, which is why you should know that this is a…well, let's just call it an intervention."

Castiel frowned. "I don't understand."

Crowley growled and stepped closer, grabbing Castiel by the shoulders and hauling him up. "Your idiot boyfriends aren't going to do a thing to fight Amara until you are safe and sound, and Lucifer is somewhere else. So if you would please get this over with so we can get on with saving the world."

Castiel looked at him with confusion. "I can't. Lucifer's too strong. And I made my choice. It's the only way I can be useful in this fight."

Crowley groaned and threw his head back. "You are all so self-sacrificing it makes me sick! Fine, if you won't do this for you, then at least do it for those insufferable lugs out there. They actually care about your well-being. I just came in here, at great detriment to myself I might add, so that I didn't have to hear them moaning anymore."

Castiel glanced around, shaking his head slowly. "Crowley…"

The demon shocked him by hauling back and slapping him across the face. "Snap out of it!" he shouted. "Let's go before it's too late!"

"It already is."

They both spun around to see Lucifer standing in the doorway to the room. He tsked, shaking his head. "Crowley, did you really think coming in here would work? I mean, I already beat your ass, had you cleaning the floor of your prior throne room with your tongue, and you don't think I can't do the same here in my own body?"

"Castiel's body, not yours," Crowley stated, surprising Castiel slightly. The demon turned to him. "Go on, Cas, cast the bastard out."

Lucifer chuckled and waved a hand. Castiel was flung across the room to slam into the wall, pinned, and unable even to breathe. Lucifer snagged Crowley by the throat and pulled his close.

"Not gonna happen." He threw the demon into the wall as well. Crowley scrambled to his feet only to get a heavy punch to the face, a kick to the ribs. Castiel struggled to get out of Lucifer's hold, but it was so strong, and he was so weak.

"Cas!" Crowley shouted. "All you have to do is revoke permission! If you do, he can't stay here!"

Castiel trembled. He fought with his true wish to go back to the Winchesters, believe that what he heard earlier was true, but he also knew they needed Lucifer to fight Amara. If they sent the devil back to the cage, they would have no chance. And Castiel would not let Lucifer hurt an innocent, and he would certainly not let the devil take Sam as a vessel if that was what his friend had planned. That was one of the reasons he said yes to begin with, so Sam wouldn't feel the need to do so.

"Cas!" Crowley screamed as Lucifer threw him to the ground again.

Lucifer laughed and stood back, glancing between the groaning demon and the pinned angel. "This is fun! We should have guests more often, don't you think, Cas? Hey, tell you what, once I get out of the holy fire, I'll let you watch when I kill Sam and Dean. Maybe, if you're a good little angel, I'll even let you say goodbye."

And then Castiel knew that he didn't have a choice in this. If he didn't expel Lucifer, the archangel would escape and kill Sam and Dean anyway and Castiel would only be providing him with the body to do that with. And then he would have no reason to have gone through all of this at all.

He felt some energy return to him with this realization, some reason. And he fought for one breath. "No," he whispered.

Lucifer smirked. "Like you can do anything about it. Can you imagine what their hot, fresh blood will feel like on your hands? What's it's gonna taste like? Can you imagine their screams as they watch the face of their best friend while we tear their guts out?" He did a mocking shimmy motion. "Ooh, Cassie, the thought gives me shivers. How about you?"

"I said no!" Cas snapped out. "Now get out!"

Lucifer twitched, and Castiel felt his hold on him loosen before he strengthened again and slammed Castiel back against the wall before crowding close and pressing a hand over Castiel's mouth so that he was unable to speak. "Don't try that again, if you know what's good for you," Lucifer snarled.

Crowley crawled to his feet. "Cas, open your eyes. Look out there, really look. And listen to what they're saying."

Lucifer snarled, but as he turned his attention back to Crowley, Castiel forced his conscious past some of Lucifer's barriers and through the eyes and ears of the vessel. He saw Sam and Dean standing in front of him, pleading, frantic looks on their faces, and soon their words trickled through as if from far away.

"Cas, you can do it!" Sam was saying. "I know how tightly he probably has you in there, but you can push him out, I know it!"

"Come on, man, you can't let that bastard win!" Dean was pleading. "We need you, Cas. YOU. Not him. You're family."

"You're our brother," Sam added. "We can't do this without you."

Castiel felt a warmth in his chest. He never knew they felt like this. He thought they saw him as only useless, no better than a broken sword. He hardly had any grace anymore, and he couldn't even stop Dean when he had the Mark. Couldn't stop any of this.

But maybe it wasn't always about that. Maybe they were right. Maybe just being family, sticking together side by side through whatever came was enough. After all, at the end of the day, isn't that what the Winchesters had always done?

"Now Cas!" Crowley cried before being thrown into the wall.

Castiel forced everything he had into pushing against Lucifer's hold and the devil stopped, turning to him with a sneer.

"I said, get out!" Castiel growled, as he peeled himself slowly away from the wall.

"Castiel," Lucifer growled starting forward, but the angel kept going.

"Get out, now! You are no longer welcome in this body, Lucifer. I cast you out!"

Lucifer reached out for him, but was suddenly yanked away as if by an invisible hand. His shout of anger was the last thing Castiel heard before he collapsed to the floor, all restraint Lucifer had put on him gone. He heaved a deep breath, and glanced over at Crowley.

The demon nodded to him and then he too disappeared.

Now all that was left was for Castiel to fully take over his vessel again.

~~~~~~~~

Dean and Sam stood and watched with horrified anxiety as Crowley possessed Cas' vessel as well, which then stood still, head hanging limp in the middle of the circle.

"Bollocks," Rowena breathed.

Sam and Dean shared a look. Dean had no idea where this would go. They watched silently for a few seconds before Cas' vessel began to twitch, then shudder, then jerk as if there was some kind of inner battle going on inside. And Dean realized with a sick feeling that that was probably exactly what was going on in there.

"Cas!" he called. "Cas, if you can hear me, you gotta fight this man. Throw that dick out!"

"You can do it, Cas!" Sam added.

The two of them kept up the litany of encouragement, and Dean only hoped Cas could hear them, that Lucifer didn't have him locked down too tight not to.

"Boys, we're running out of time!" Rowena cried and Dean glanced at the warding to see it was almost completely burned out. He swallowed hard.

"Cas, man, take control!" he pleaded. "I know you can do this."

And then, all of a sudden Cas' head was thrown back and expelled a stream of white light. Sam and Dean ducked as it flew through a window and away, almost angrily.

Sam huffed a breath of shock. "You think that was…"

Crowley's red demon smoke followed, and Dean was already moving, throwing a bucket of water over the circle of holy fire as Crowley got back into his meat suit and stood up.

"Cas in the only one left in there. You're welcome." He said, then disappeared.

Rowena followed suit, snatching up her bag of spell items and hurrying out of the church.

"Cas," Dean called and he surged toward his friend, just as the angel's knees gave out. Dean caught him and lowered them both to the ground. Cas was limp in his arms, and heavy against him, but Dean simply wrapped his arms tightly around the angel, not wanting to let him go, just too relieved to have him back.

Cas groaned against his shoulder, shifting slightly. "Dean? Is he…is he gone?" he asked weakly.

"Yeah, Cas," Dean told him, holding him even tighter, moving one hand up to cup the back of Cas' head. "He's gone. You did it."

Cas slumped even further against Dean if possible, obviously exhausted, but he raised his head some worry in his eyes. "Sam?"

"Right here," Sam said with a smile and joined them on the floor, reaching out to grip Cas' shoulder. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

"So stupid," Cas muttered. "I can't believe…"

"Hey, none of that," Dean chided, shaking his friend slightly. "You're back, that's all that matters right now."

"Family," Cas whispered almost hesitantly, pulling back slightly to glance up at both Winchesters.

"Damn straight," Dean told him and then Sam was joining in on the embrace, and the three of them knelt there on the floor for a long time, arms around each other, just grateful to be alive and together at that moment, and screw the fact the world was still on the verge of ending.

Finally, though, Dean's legs were falling asleep, and he pulled back, but kept a hand on Cas' arm, as he and Sam both pulled the angel to his feet. Cas was still a bit shaky, but he managed with their help.

"Come on," Dean said. "Let's get you back home."

Cas sighed in relief and allowed the two brothers to help him out to the Impala.

"Cas, did Lucifer…are you hurt?" Sam asked after a couple minutes.

Cas' jaw clenched. "It might take me a while to adjust, but…I'm not injured, if that's what you mean."

Sam's jaw clenched and Dean felt a fresh wave of anger toward the archangel hit him. Now he had two brothers to pay Lucifer back for hurting, and he would be damned if he didn't make that douchebag pay good.

"I know…trust me," Sam said quietly.

They reached the Impala, and Dean opened the back door, allowing Cas to slip inside and sit heavily down in the back seat.

It was a silent drive back to the bunker. Dean himself was mostly just relieved, stunned at the reality that they actually had managed to get Cas back.

By the time they got back though, Cas was looking even more exhausted than he had before, head tipped against the back of the seat, eyes half closed.

"Why don't you rest for a while, Cas?" Dean suggested as they all climbed out of the car.

Cas grunted as he slid out and Sam steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure I have much choice in the matter. Perhaps I could borrow one of the rooms."

Sam and Dean shot each other a look and Dean, reached out to grip Cas' shoulder. "Cas, you can rest in your room."

The angel cocked his head to one side. "But I don't really have…"

"Exactly," Sam cut in. "So let's make this official. Go pick your room."

"Well, I'll take the one I usually stay in," Cas said, sounding a little overwhelmed.

They led him inside and followed him to his room. Dean made sure there were blankets and pillows and Sam brought him a pair of comfortable clothes in case he wanted to change.

"You know you don't…you don't have to do all this," Cas said eventually, looking slightly embarrassed.

"No, we don't have to," Dean said. "We want to."

"Cas," Sam added, sitting on the bed beside the angel. "We've obviously done a bad job of letting you know how we really feel about you. You're family, man, and we never should have left you in doubt about that. Ever."

"We know why you said yes to Lucifer," Dean added. "And it wasn't just because you didn't want Sam to think he had to."

Cas looked down at his lap. Dean sat down on his other side so both his and Sam's shoulders brushed against Cas', sandwiching him so he wouldn't feel alone. "Cas, full power or not, you're not worthless, man. Not to us. You're our brother, and I want you to know that."

Cas let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob, running his hands over his face. "I'm not even sure I'm not hallucinating at the moment," he said a little bitterly.

"You're not," Sam said gently and slung an arm around Cas' shoulders. "And I'm so, so sorry that we ever treated you in such a way that would make you think that. But I think we should make this a second change for all of us. Now that we have you back safe and sound."

"But we still have to figure out a way to fight Amara," Cas said. "And now we don't even have Lucifer."

"We'll figure out a way, we always do," Dean told him firmly. "But we'll do it together. No more secrets, no more needless self-sacrificing moves. Team Free Will. Just like it always has been."

"But better," Sam added.

"That's right," Dean agreed and gave Cas' shoulder a squeeze before he stood up. "Now, you rest up, concentrate on getting back on your feet. We've got a lot of planning ahead of us."

But Dean suddenly didn't feel quite so helpless thinking about facing the Darkness anymore. Not now that he had his family back together and whole.

Because that was all they had ever had before, and despite everything, they had always done all right in the end.

 


End file.
